Committing to Jesus

There are a few helpful things to know and remember about being a follower of Jesus Christ:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.

 – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Before, your natural tendency was toward sin and self. Now you have a new nature through the work of God in you. God looks on you as a son or daughter that is holy and blameless, without any sin, without any guilt, shame, or condemnation, because Jesus paid the price for that. Anything heavy from your past is now washed away. As a son or daughter of God, you get to be part of God’s family. He is the perfect father who wants to know you and wants you to know Him in relationship.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

 – 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

God’s will is to bring glory to himself by uniting, or reconciling, all things to himself by showing grace to men through the blood of Christ. Everything and everyone on earth serves this purpose: To bring glory to God.

But believers get a unique and marvelous role in this purpose: To bring glory to the God saves and lavishes his grace on us by carrying the message of reconciliation to others throughout our lives as an ambassador would in action and in word.

O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

 – 2 Samuel 7:28

God delights to keep all of His promises, and as His children we love them and are blessed to find that all of them are tested and trustworthy.

Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

 – Psalm 119:140